He Should Have Known
by Angel Benhoff
Summary: Arthur and Merlin travel to visit Hunith,while traveling there Arthur discovers Merlin's power. Merthur. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Listening In

**He Should Have Known**

 ***Chapter 1***

As Arthur headed to his chamber he noticed that something was off. Merlin was nowhere to be found. He hadn't woken Arthur up, causing him to deal with his father since he was late to breakfast, he wasn't there to get him ready, he wasn't at Gaius's, he wasn't in the stocks, and he hadn't shown up to watch Arthur train. So Arthur felt that something was definitely off.

"Gaius I can't tell him you know this." a voice grumbled. Arthur stopped and looked at the door which was only open a crack. He quickly hid near the door so he could hear, but so he wouldn't be questioned by anyone passing by.

"Merlin, I know you can't, but you also can't just leave. I'm sure Arthur will notice." Gaius replied. Arthur cautiously looked around before looking into the room through a crack between the door and the wall. Merlin was standing with his back to the door holding a bag as Gaius stood glaring at the young boy.

"And just what do you want me to say if Arthur asks for you, as I highly doubt he will enjoy hearing you are going on a life threatening journey, especially if you are to go alone?" Gaius questioned as he admitted defeat.

"Tell him my mother is ill, and I am going to be with her till she is well again." Arthur made sure to hold back the laugh that was threatening to spill from his lips. He highly doubted that Gaius would lie for Merlin, even if he was his charge.

"Of course, but for my sake Merlin, please be careful. I do not wish to tell Arthur his manservant has been killed and will not be returning." Gaius pleaded. Merlin scoffed and fixed the bag on his shoulder.

"Arthur probably won't even notice I'm gone." Merlin stated before heading to the door. Arthur backed away from the door and crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall opposite of the door.


	2. Off We Go

**He Should Have Known**

 ***Chapter 2***

" _Arthur probably won't even notice I'm gone." Merlin stated before heading to the door. Arthur backed away from the door and crossed his arms as he leaned against the wall opposite of the door._

"SIre, how are you?" Merlin asked while fidgeting with his bag.

"Going somewhere?" Arthur asked trying to keep his tone calm. Merlin stared at him for a moment before looking at his bag.

"My mother is ill and I wanted to make sure she was alright. I was told it was serious and I don't wish to be gone if anything happens to her." Arthur looked at the boy impressed. If he hadn't heard Merlin he would have believed him.

"Excellent I was going to go for a ride anyways. I can go with you instead." Merlin quickly looked at Arthur and tried to think of an argument. Before he could get a word in otherwise Arthur leveled him a look that he had been given before. Arthur's look of 'That is my final decision.' Arguing would be pointless.

"Of course sire." Merlin sighed before following Arthur. After packing food for the two of them Merlin quickly set to work on preparing their horses and loading their things.

"Sire are you ready?" Merlin asked as Arthur came into the stables. The two quickly got settled before setting out on their way.

After a few hours Arthur stopped in a small clearing and climbed off his horse before watching as Merlin fell off his own horse and landed face down in the grass.

"I heard you and Gaius speaking. So where are we really going, and before you tell me anything about your mother, I know she isn't actually sick. So where were you secretly trying to go." Arthur asked in a harsh voice.

"I was going to see the druid boy. He told me he needed my help with something." Merlin explained. Arthur scoffed and looked at Merlin before realizing he looked completely serious.

"Merlin how could you help him? You are the clumsiest most idiotic person out there." Merlin stared at his hands before turning to the horses and tying them to a low tree branch.

"We can stay here for the night. I'll go collect some wood for a fire." Merlin said before heading into the surrounding trees.


	3. Sorcerer?

**He Should Have Known**

 ***Chapter 3***

" _We can stay here for the night. I'll go collect some wood for a fire." Merlin said before heading into the surrounding trees._

Merlin hadn't spoken since returning with the firewood. After eating a portion of the food they had brought for their journey Arthur decided to try and sleep. Feeling confident that Merlin wouldn't be able to leave without waking him. He kept his eyes in a squint once comfortable so he could keep an eye on Merlin for a moment and study the boy in front of him. Merlin was not built for fighting, and yet even when defenseless he had a look about him that gave off the feeling of power and that the boy was never truly defenseless.

Merlin turned to look at Arthur before digging into his bag and pulling out a book, the cover hidden in the shadows of the dim light. Seeming frustrated Merlin glanced at Arthur once again before turning to the fire, now nothing more than embers, and muttering a few silent words. The fire jumped back to life and Arthur stared at Merlin in shock as the boy gave the fire a small secretive smile before opening the book, the cover now basked in light. Arthur studied the cover before holding in a yelp.

' _The Art of Magics, Enchantments, & Spells' _was scrawled across the front of the book. Merlin grabbed a small gem out of his pocket and studied a few words before repeating them to the crystal causing it to glow.

"Now that dollop head can't get himself hurt to badly." Merlin muttered with a small grin before setting the crystal in his bag. Arthur sat up causing Merlin to look at him and try to cover the book.

"I already saw the cover Merlin." Arthur said in a cold tone before grabbing the book from Merlin's hands and going through the pages. Many had corners which were turned down and Arthur turned to those first. The pages contained healing spells and had names written down next to them. His most frequently, then Gwen's, and lastly Gaius's. Some pages held defense spells and notes of when they could be helpful or who they helped protect. The names seemed to fill the pages that were marked, some even had parchment with more names, his being the most common.

"Merlin how could you not tell me, more importantly how did you hide this from me?" Arthur asked in a calm, quiet tone. Merlin looked at him in shock before looking at the book.

"Arthur, magic is illegal in Camelot. Knowing how to use it, let alone having it, is a death sentence." Merlin said as he carefully took back the book and placed it on his bag.

"Did you not trust me?" Arthur asked fearing the answer before hanging his head. "Of course you don't. I gave you no reason to." Arthur added quietly. Merlin chuckled and looked over at Arthur.

"I was going to tell you, you dollop head, but I was concerned that if someone in the castle heard, they would report me to your father." Merlin said before turning back to the fire. Arthur nodded in understanding before pulling the crystal out of the bag and looking at it.

"What's this for anyways?" Arthur questioned before handing it to Merlin.

"It has a protection charm, it prevents the wearer from being harmed by those with magic that have bad intentions towards them." Merlin explained before placing it on the book.

"Can you show me something? Just like anything." Arthur asked curiously. A small grin spread over Merlin's face and he nodded.

"Of course." Merlin smiled and muttered something before the flames in the fire suddenly started to move and turn into the shape of a dragon, then a face.

"Merlin who's that?" Arthur asked as he looked at the face of the familiar looking young man.

"That's you from when we first met." Merlin explained quietly. Arthur studied the flames and realized how much he had changed in the short time they had known each other. The flames morphed back into a dragon which looked similar to the one he had killed. After a few moments the dragon slowly went back to its original shape and became a fire once more.

"Sire are you alright?" Merlin asked as he looked over at Arthur.

"Merlin, you can call me Arthur, seeing as we're not in Camelot, and yes, I'm alright." Arthur replied with a smile. Merlin nodded and looked down at the gem before grabbing a piece of string from his bag and wrapping it around the top.

"Arthur this is for you. Like I said earlier it will protect you from people with magic as well as their magic if they have bad intentions." Merlin explained as he handed Arthur the pendant. Before placing his book back into his bag.


	4. Joking Around

**He Should Have Known**

 ***Chapter 4***

" _Arthur this is for you. Like I said earlier it will protect you from people with magic that have bad intentions. Their magic can not harm you if they plan to use it to hurt you." Merlin explained as he handed Arthur the pendant. Before placing his book back into his bag._

Arthur woke up to a dead fire and Merlin gone. He worried that perhaps his servant had left, however they vanished when he looked towards the horses and saw that both of them were still tied to the tree branch.

"Good morning Arthur.." Merlin greeted as he walked over to their stuff with a freshly filled water canteen. Arthur nodded in response and began packing his bag.

"Alright so where are we headed?" Arthur asked placing his bag on his horse and strapping it in.

"My mother's actually. The druid had contacted me late last night and said that the matter had been resolved. So I thought we could head there and visit her, since that's the story we had given when leaving." Merlin said shrugging before grabbing his bag and strapping it to his horse.

"Need help getting on the horse?" Arthur asked as he untied their horses. Merlin shot him a glare and pulled himself on as his saddle slid sidewards, taking him with it. Arthur chuckled while Merlin muttered to himself and the saddle was corrected.

"Cheater." Arthur scolded jokingly. Merlin grinned innocently and continued to right himself. Arthur pulled himself on his own horse and looked over at Merlin in shock as the saddle flipped to the underside of the horse and Arthur was tossed to the ground. Merlin laughed while clinging to his own horse to keep himself steady.

"Thank you Merlin. It's nice to know that I amuse you." Arthur grumbled. Merlin muttered a spell and the two watched as Arthur's saddle corrected itself.

"Sometimes I wish I knew magic. I feel like it would make life easier. How did you learn?" Arthur asked as he climbed back on his horse. Merlin grew quiet and looked over at Arthur.

"I didn't learn magic, I was born with it. That's why I was so worried about telling you, because I can't help what I can do." Merlin whispered. Arthur looked at him in a mix shock and confusion.

"I thought that was impossible. My father has always said magic was a learned skill and was only taught to those who had bad intentions. I can see the last part isn't true, but I believed the first part." Arthur stated as he looked at his manservant. Merlin merely let out a cold laugh before looking at his hands.

"Uther believes he knows everything, but I can tell he knows that magic is not as bad as he has everyone believe." Merlin shrugged before tensing and waiting for Arthur to yell at him for speaking ill of Uther. Arthur, however, merely nodded in agreement and directed his horse to move on.


	5. Arrival

**He Should Have Known**

 ***Chapter 5***

" _Uther believes he knows everything, but I can tell he knows that magic is not as bad as he has everyone believe." Merlin shrugged before tensing and waiting for Arthur to yell at him for speaking ill of Uther. Arthur, however, merely nodded in agreement and directed his horse to move on._

As the two rode into Ealdor Hunith walked over from the fields to meet them, a smile on her face. Once they were off their horses Hunith pulled Merlin into a hug and smiled at Arthur. Neither noticed that the book was still poking out from their earlier packing, Hunith quickly noticed it before looking at Merlin with a tight smile.

"Dear your bag seems to be losing its contents." she said as she nodded to the book and tried to hide it from Arthur's view. Merlin pulled the book out and handed it to Arthur quietly while he shifted the contents of his bag before placing it back inside and looking up to see his mother staring at him in horror.

"Mother it's fine, he knows." Merlin said as he placed a hand on his mother's arm while Arthur moved away to tie the horses to a post near Hunith's home.

"That doesn't mean that those around here do. Not all are as accepting as me." Hunith said as she ushered the boys inside.

"Arthur, I understand that Merlin trusts you, and after what you have done for my village you have gained my respect, but can I trust you to keep my son's secret safe?" Hunith questioned as they stepped inside. Merlin gave his mother a look, she paid him no mind. He rolled his eyes and grabbed Arthur's and his bags and placed them further inside.

"Hunith you have my word that I will make sure Merlin's secret is safe. I will also make sure the twit is more cautious and does more than just look to see if someone is awake before he does anything." Arthur said before shooting Merlin a look.

"Merlin! You promised you would be cautious, what if Arthur had been set in the same ways as his father. You remember what happened to your father. I would hate to see you have to go through that." Hunith scolded as she gave Merlin a look of worry.

"Mother I knew he wouldn't react as Uther would, and you promised not to mention him anymore. Especially after what happened to him." Merlin said in a soft voice before handing his mother the food that they had left. Hunith nodded and accepted the food with a smile and placing them in different cupboards.

"I'm sorry, your father? You told me you didn't know him." Arthur said from his seat at the table. Merlin turned to Arthur and sat at one of the other seats.

"Do you remember the dragonlord we went to find?" Merlin questioned. Arthur nodded before looking at Merlin in shock.

"He was your father? Merlin I am sorry, I wondered why you were so upset after he was killed. I wish I had known." Arthur said and Merlin shook his head.

"What good would it have done, I doubt the outcome would have been different. And I doubt he would have helped Uther. He came because he found out I was his son." Merlin said as he turned to his mother.

"And as bad as it sounds, without his death Merlin couldn't have helped Camelot. I know Balinor wouldn't have helped. He would have made sure Merlin was not harmed and left the creature to do its damage." Hunith said as she placed a hand on Merlin's shoulder and looked at Arthur. Arthur looked at the two in shock and Merlin took it as his cue to explain.

"Being a dragonlord is based on heritage. As long as the former has a child the line never truly dies. Because my father was a dragonlord I became one when he was killed, making me the last dragonlord. I lied to you about the dragon Arthur. You didn't kill him, I told him to leave and never return to Camelot unless called." Merlin explained as Arthur looked at Merlin in shock.

"You told the dragon to leave and just like that he was gone?" Arthur asked. Merlin nodded and gave a small smile.

"A dragon can not disobey a dragonlord unless they misuse their power, and even then it is very difficult for them and they must have a strong allegiance in another dragonlord." Merlin explained. Arthur nodded and looked at Hunith.

"I hope we aren't intruding. I noticed you were working when we arrived. If you need to get back to that Merlin and I can assist you." Arthur offered causing Hunith to smile at the prince and nod.

"I was working out in the fields. I'm sure we would all like the help. Thank you for your offer it would be lovely to have your help." Arthur nodded and stood as he and Merlin followed Hunith out the door and to the fields.


	6. Explanation

Hello my dear readers! *Hides under onslaught of thrown item* Goodness it's been a bit. *Ducks under table* I'm doing much better and am mass updating. A lot of my stories I can't find the journal for and am in search of it as you read. I swear I will update soon. I have been so busy. I just graduated high school, so that's over with, but I'm applying for a child development center and if I get that I'll be busy with that, but I promise to keep typing and doing mass updates on the weekends which is what I've resorted to. I love all of you and thank you for sticking with me. Feel free to check out my other stories!

~Angel


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